I still smile when I pack or even look at 550 cord. It’s one of those pieces of gear you can do just about anything with: tie-downs, tourniquets, you name it. And when I was serving or training in SF, we always had some on hand. Always. Above is the 550 cord that goes into one Survival Bracelet.

The Survival Bracelets come stiff — and like our rucksacks, this is proof of the quality of the materials used in their creation. It should be the case that all 550 cord is identical, but I can promise you it’s not. Survival Straps uses military-grade 550 cord, the same stuff that holds a parachute to the guy who just jumped out of an airplane.

This is only the beginning of the cool stuff GORUCK and Survival Straps are going to do together, so stay tuned in the coming years and decades. They make great gear, and I hope via GORUCK x Survival Straps or direct to Survival Straps, you’ll support them and their cause.

I’d love to see a blog entry about different things you can do in a hiking/camping/combat/survival situation with 550 cord. I can imagine a few things like tying tourniquets, setting snares, and lashing shelters together, but I’m sure you’ve forgotten more things to do with it than I’ll ever learn. Love to see a blog with some tips and tricks relating to the stuff.

I disagree with the “Tough” written on the spearhead tags. GORUCK TOUGH gear should be reserved for those who completed the challenge. Earning a tough patch myself, I will be buying these items. The GORUCK TOUGH patch “will never be for sale” but the GORUCK TOUGH tag IS for sale…

hey bud – I hear ya, and we gave a lot of thought to this. Here’s the example I kept coming back to. When I graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course, I promptly went to the gift shop across the street and bought my whole family ‘Special Forces’ stuff. T-shirts, key chains, you name it. None of them had earned the Special Forces tab, which I had – and which incidentally you can buy for about $1 at any military supply shop or online. I had earned the SF tab but actually had to buy them to put on my uniform. Anyway, the Special Forces tab was the inspiration for the concept of the GORUCK Tough patch because of what it means to the guys who have earned it and the community they proudly serve in. So I think about it like that. If you want to support the mission of GORUCK at large, our Reverse Flag is the way to go. If you’re proud to be a GRT or want to support someone who is, go with the Spearhead. Trust is a delicate thing, but I think people understand this distinction, and it allows us at GORUCK to offer GRT gear ‘for sale’ without turning into the Gestapo. It’s a fine line, for sure, and thanks for caring so much about what you have rightfully earned. You’re in one hell of a family on the GRT side, and I love you guys.

So what happens when we need to use the 550 cord. Are we able to use our own 550 to make a new one? Or are we doomed and drop another 42 bucks on another braclet? Also are there any instructions on how to do it yourself?

Hey TD, on the Survival Straps website they state: “In an emergency situation, unravel the bracelet to deploy the paracord to help get you out of a jam. If you do use it, tell us your story and we replace it for free.” Bottom line: they’ll replace it if you have to use it but if you have any problems with them (you won’t – they’re literally awesome over at Survival Straps), let me know and I’ll happily send you a new one and then deal with them directly. And I hope you don’t have to use it, but if you do, please send us the story, too.